Ex-Indians manager Charlie Manuel on being a champion and leaving the Tribe: 'I didn't quit'

Gene J. Puskar/Associated PressWith a World Series title on his managerial resume (and a successful diet, too), life is a wonderful experience for former Indians skipper Charlie Manuel in the City of Brotherly Love.

PITTSBURGH -- Many on the outside thought Charlie Manuel's managerial career -- the major-league one, at least -- was over when he and the Indians parted ways in July 2002.

In 2000, the Indians had given baseball lifer Manuel his first opportunity to manage in the majors. He was 56. Less than three years later, Manuel was out after a heated meeting with General Manager Mark Shapiro over the All-Star break.

Manuel wanted to know his status beyond the season, and Shapiro was not willing to commit. Manuel refused to take "wait" for an answer.

End of tenure in Cleveland.

Manuel has spent his life proving people wrong, so it's no surprise he resurfaced. And not only did he manage again, he won a World Series. Three years after replacing Larry Bowa in Philadelphia, The Good Ol' Boy was on top of the baseball world, the Phillies having defeated Tampa Bay last October.

Manuel's Phillies are in first place in the NL East this year. During a series against the Pirates at PNC Park last month, he allowed for a peek into his world:

DW:It looks like you've lost a lot of weight since last year. Is everything OK?

Chris O'Meara/Associated PressManuel says he doesn't flaunt his 2008 championship accomplishments in front of his critics. "I can't worry what other people think about me," he said. "Besides, it's not about me, it's about the players and the team."

CM: Everything's great. I have lost a lot. In spring training, I weighed 284. I told [fiancee] Missy, 'Damn, I've got to lose some pounds.' She suggested NutriSystem. I weighed myself the other day -- 230. How about that?

DW:Impressive. You should be in one of the commercials.

CM: That would be neat, wouldn't it?

DW:What was life like in the days after the World Series last year?

CM: I stayed in town for about 10 days, then went back to my home in Winter Haven [Fla.]. I sat down, and for about four or five days, I didn't do anything. I just sat there. That's when it really hit me. I thought, 'Man, we won the World Series. Does it get any better than this?' Then I replayed the season, start to finish, what we did right and wrong. I kept thinking how we played so well when it mattered most.

DW: Did you need a World Series title to validate your standing as a manager, to gain respect?

CM: No. I know where you're going with that, and the answer is, 'No.' I can't worry what other people think about me. Besides, it's not about me, it's about the players and the team.

DW:Still, you must feel good about being able to flash a World Series ring in the face of your critics.

CM: You're always going to have critics. You could win 10 World Series and still have critics. Everybody's got an opinion.

DW:In mid-July 2002, you were in the third year of your first stint as a major-league manager. The Indians had made the playoffs in 2001. Suddenly, you and the Indians parted ways after a meeting with General Manager Mark Shapiro. What happened?

CM: Mark told me things he wanted to get done and gave me plans about development of our players. What stood out to me was, he said I'd be re-evaluated at the end of the year based on how we developed our players. But I felt like I'd been doing that for 15 years with the Indians organization, in the minors and the majors. I thought to myself, "How many times does someone have to evaluate you?" Those kinds of things upset me.

CM: He said to me, "You're my manager until the end of the year, but at the end of the year, I'd like to talk to some people, to interview some people." I said, "Mark, I look at that as, either I'm in or I'm out." It sounded like I was out.

DW:Did you end the meeting by saying, "I'm out of here," or words to that effect?

CM: No. I didn't say I was done. At the end of the meeting, Mark said something like, "Go home and think about it." I said, "I don't have to think about it."

DW:Doesn't that mean, though, that you effectively resigned on the spot?

CM: No, that's not what it means. Since then, I've heard I more or less fired myself. I didn't look at it that way then, and I don't look at it that way today.

DW:So you didn't quit?

CM: I didn't quit. Hell no, I didn't quit.

DW:It wasn't a case where you demanded a contract extension and didn't get it?

CM: I never demanded a contract. I have never demanded a contract. The contract never came up.

DW:What happened after the meeting concluded?

CM: Mark had asked me to come back the next day. I came in early. I went up to talk to him, and Mr. Dolan [Indians owner Larry Dolan] was there. He talked to me a little while. And that was it.

DW:Any regrets about how it all went down?

CM: No. Did I react a little quick? Maybe. I can be stubborn, but I have principles. I was very upset at the start, upset with myself. I wanted to do a good job with the Cleveland Indians, I loved that team, and I wanted them to want me. I enjoyed every minute of my time in the organization. I felt like I definitely deserved to be there. I didn't think I'd done anything to have to leave.

Chuck Crow/The Plain DealerManuel on managing the Indians: "I wanted to do a good job with the Cleveland Indians, I loved that team, and I wanted them to want me. I enjoyed every minute of my time in the organization. I felt like I definitely deserved to be there. I didn't think I'd done anything to have to leave."

DW:What do you think of Mark Shapiro?

CM: Very dedicated in the minor leagues when I worked with him. When he became a GM, he had his own ideas. Mark and I definitely were going in different directions, but at the same time, I have a lot of respect for him and I think he's a good person.

DW:Has your view of him changed since 2002?

CM: At the time, I didn't realize what changes were all about. Now that I look back, Mark was doing his job. I have a better understanding of his position and his thinking. I realize there is a professional part to baseball and a business part, too.

DW:Were you worried that you might not get another opportunity to manage?

CM: I always felt like I'd get another chance. I'd been in the game a long time, and enough people knew me. I've never tried to promote myself. I felt like, if I worked hard enough, and the players were good enough, we could get the job done. That's what's happened in Philadelphia.

DW:What was your reaction to the Indians' sell-off this summer?

CM: What I got out of it was, they wanted younger players and wanted to improve their system. From the outside, it looks like they did a good job of getting players with major-league potential.

DW:And you get Cliff Lee.

CM: We got Cliff. And Ben Francisco.

DW: Do you feel bad for Indians fans who are forced to endure another rebuild?

CM: A couple of years ago, when we were in for an interleague series, the games drew 20,000, 25,000 people (June 18-20, 2007: 18,710; 17,371, 24,278). It was a different feel. It was quiet. I remember when there was a lot of electricity and a lot of noise, and they were selling out every night. I'd like to see them get back to those days.

CM: I believe in honesty, attitude, chemistry and makeup. I believe you play the game day-to-day. I believe in even-keel, not getting too high or too low. I want the players to come to the ballpark relaxed and to come because they want to, not because they have to.

DW: Word association -- Mike Hargrove?

CM: He had a good run. He did a tremendous job. It was just unfortunate he couldn't win a World Series.

DW: Albert Belle?

CM: I miss him. I miss watching him hit. I miss being around him. I wish him all the luck in the world.

DW: Jim Thome?

CM: I talk to Thome a lot. When I look at him, the career he's had, it's so impressive. I'm pulling for him to hit 600 homers. I feel kind of like he's my son.

DW:How does it feel when Thome credits you as much as anyone in the game for his success?

CM: It's a great compliment, but remember: I never got a hit for Thome. Thome did all the hitting.

DW: Manny Ramirez, another 500-homer guy, also was one of your pupils with the Tribe in the 1990s. Your reaction to the performance-enhancing-drugs cloud over him?

CM: I don't know everything that goes into that, but I want the best for Manny. I know this: Manny was a great hitter when he was young. Still is. But I do want baseball to clean up. I want baseball to enforce the drug policies. I want baseball to be clean, and it doesn't matter who's involved. At the same time, when I look at Manny's career, I can't help but remember all the good things. I know what kind of person he is.

DW:If you had a vote, would you vote Manny for the Hall of Fame?

CM: That's something I haven't really sat down and thought about because I'm not in a position to do that, anyway. But he's a great, great hitter.

DW:You've been through a lot in your life, including a heart attack. You wore a colostomy bag in the dugout for a while in Cleveland. Yet here you are, still plugging along, managing the defending world champions. How have you persevered?

CM: I enjoy life. I like to live. And I'm determined. Baseball's helped me survive.

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